Local advice on where to hit the open road this summer

The best time on a road trip is when you put the maps and guidebooks away and just explore.

Photograph by: R. Peterkin
, Fotolia.com

The best part of every road trip usually happens the moment you put the map down and let the scenery be your guide. Whether it's stumbling across a random little village with the best homemade ice cream you've ever had, or finding the perfect swimming hole because you took a wrong turn somewhere, these chance encounters tend to be the most memorable. To celebrate the quintessential Canadian road trip, and to increase the odds of seeing something unforgettable, the Post's Jesse Kinos-Goodin highlights three great routes, with some help from the locals who know them best.

CRUISE THE EAST COAST

St. John's to Bonavista, N.L.

The Route

St. John's is a difficult place to leave, but before you get too attached to this capital, consider the following: Travel company Cape Race (caperace.com) will equip road-trippers with a rental car, guide book and the keys to three historic homes between St. John's and Bonavista.

There are three circuits to the trip, and company founder Ken Sooley suggests taking the time to do all of them to get the full cultural effect. The first circuit takes you north on highway 80 on the Baccalieu Trail, which travels up the side of Trinity Bay and passes towns that read like a romantic novel series: Heart's Delight, Heart's Desire and Heart's Content. Top out at Red Head Cove before looping down the Conception Bay side of the peninsula, where you can pick up the Trans Canada again. Suggested time: three days.

Next is the Cape Shore Trail, which travels Hwy 100 down one side of Placentia Bay, rounding around False Cape before travelling back up the other side, ending in Markland (day trip).

Last is the aptly named Discovery Trail, which takes you north on Hwy 230 around the rugged coastline of Bonavista Bay to your final destination, Bonavista, one of the largest working fishing villages in the province. Suggested time: two to three days.

Where to stay

J. Sooley House, Heart's Delight. This 1930s home looks untouched by time, but the amenities are still modern, including 1,500-count bed sheets.

Where to eat

Velma's, St. John's. Get a true taste of Newfoundland and go where the locals go for their daily fix of everything from fish cakes to fried liver. Be sure to tip the accordion player out front.

Don't miss

Rodrigues Winery has a reputation for raspberry, black currant and blueberry wine (rodrigueswinery.com).

SADDLE UP FOR ALBERTA'S COWBOY TRAIL

Edmonton to Waterton Lakes National Park, Alta.

The route

"If you're gonna come to Alberta, you gotta get on a horse," says Neil Maclaine, president of the Cowboy Trail Tourism Association and owner of Moose Mountain Horseback Adventures(packtrips.ca).Riding a horse is a rite of passage in these parts, but to make the trail's full 735-km trip, you're going to need wheels.

Start your journey in Edmonton (you can also access the trail's halfway point from Calgary) and head west on Hwy 16 until you reach Hwy 22, otherwise known as the Cowboy Trail. From there it's due south as you wind through rolling foothills alongside rivers, with a view of the Rocky Mountains to the west.

Be sure to stop in Rocky Mountain House, established as a fur trading post in 1799. Bragg Creek is a great place to stop for a horseback ride before making your way to Longview, a village of 300 tucked in beside the Highwood River. Suggested time: two to three days.

Where to stay

Riverside Chateau, Bragg Creek. This B&B with a view combines the best elements of a log cabin and chateau (riversidechateau.com).

Where to eat

The Navajo Mug, Longview. Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer Ian Tyson's song Four Strong Winds has been covered by everyone from Neil Young to Johnny Cash, but these days he's more famous for making a mean cup of Joe and homemade pie (thenavajomug.com).

Don't miss

Highwood Pass, on Hwy 40 just west of the official trail, cuts through Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, and at more than 7,000 feet, it's one of the highest roads in the country.

HAVE AN ISLAND ADVENTURE

Victoria to Tofino, B.C.

The route

Whether you're a budding arborist, oceanographer or gourmand, Vancouver Island's coastline, old growth forests and locally sourced cuisine won't disappoint. After strolling around the waterfront in Victoria, take Hwy 1, but not before stopping at Goldstream Provincial Park. "It's a great spot, especially for bird lovers," says Gary Murdock, of Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours, adding that in the fall it's one of the best places to see spawning salmon.

The drive up the island begins by ascending 1,100 ft on the winding Malahat Path before dropping back down into the Cowichan Valley. Murdock always takes tour groups for lunch in Cowichan Bay, North America's first official "Slow Food" area. At Parksville, you'll head west on Hwy 4, a hilly, winding road that cuts across the island. Cathedral Grove, in MacMillan Provincial Park, is the best place to walk among towering Douglas fir trees, some more than 800 years old. Continue on Hwy 4, and when you come to a T intersection, turn right to Tofino, stopping in at Long Beach to admire the surfers braving the frigid waters.

Where to Stay

Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort, Parksville is the halfway point between Victoria and Tofino, and makes a great spot to rest before cutting across the island.

Where to Eat

Riverwalk Cafe, Duncan. As part of the Quw'utsun' Cultural and Conference Centre, Riverwalk provides the only authentic First Nations' cuisine on the island (quwutsun.ca/riverwalk.html).

Don't miss

Every road trip should involve ice cream, but not every ice cream is made daily with natural, local ingredients like at Morning Mist in Cowichan Bay. Try the Licorice, made from real licorice fruit and anise. 765 Cowichan Bay Rd.

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